A/N: Sorry about the wait, everyone! Thanks so much as always for your wonderful reviews. This chapter was a hard one to write because I had a lot of difficulty writing a scenario in which Chris Keller and Peyton wake up together. Just picture it in your head: what the hell would they say? I tried a lot of different options, but in the end I managed to avoid the whole scenario. Also: an intelligent reviewer pointed out a continuity error: everything up until the season three finale goes in this story, but I mentioned Psycho Derek in the second chapter. That was a mistake. He never happed. Sorry about that. This chapter's a little shorter than normal, but I promise lots of length in the next one. Read and review, please.
Heldentenor: a heroic quality of voice that fits rare, specific pieces of music. It is often an surprise within the melody.
"Good morning, rock star!" Haley chirped as she flung Jenny's curtains open, welcoming the sun into the room.
"Morning…bad," Jenny protested weakly, pulling a pillow over her head.
Haley snatched the pillow away and danced over the other side of the room, placing Jenny's iPod into its dock and accessing her list of artists. She turned Jack's Mannequin up nice and loud. "Up and at 'em, sweetie, we've got places to go, songs to write, people to see, girls to make into superstars!" she chirped as she headed for the door, calling over her shoulder, "If I don't see you in ten minutes, I'll tell the twins they can steamroller you!"
"Steamroller?" Jenny asked blearily, sitting up and placing a hand atop her head to assess how bad her bedhead was.
Haley poked her head back in. "Yeah, you know. When you lie down next to someone and the roll of top of them, back and forth, over and over."
"Awesome," Jenny noted sarcastically, flopping back down.
Haley grinned back, unfazed. "Nine minutes and counting!"
Nathan was waiting outside the door of Jenny's room with two cups of coffee. He held hers out to her and she awarded him with an impressed smile and a luxurious kiss. "Hey, you," she said as she pulled back.
He grinned back at her, nodding toward the doorway. "How's she doing?"
"She's gonna be fine," Haley said confidently, slipping her hand into his as they meandered down the hallway together. "We're all going to be fine."
"Can we talk? Please?"
Peyton groaned and tugged the hem of her shirt down as she turned around to face him, uncomfortable with the thought of him seeing any extra skin. "There's nothing to talk about."
Chris looked at her incredulously. "Peyton, we had sex."
"Please don't remind me." She was exhausted. Her eyes were heavy and her entire head throbbed with a brutal headache that she couldn't shake, no matter how many painkillers she swallowed. She was a wreck, but was fighting hard to keep from breaking. She wanted Jenny to forgive her, and she wanted Chris to forget her.
"Listen," he said softly, almost contritely. "I…"
"Chris…" Peyton shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "It was sex. That was all." She was shocked by the sadness she saw in his eyes, and immediately added, "Oh, Chris, you couldn't have thought it was more."
"To me it was."
"Oh, God, I can't cope with this right now," she murmured, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyelids.
"I want to be with you," Chris said quietly.
She stopped breathing momentarily. "Tell me you didn't just say that," she finally got out.
"Look, Peyton," he said, taking a step toward her. "I know it seems ridiculous, considering that our history consists of an argument about a performance and a rather painful bitch-slap but…I like you."
Tears gathered in her eyes and she blinked harshly to keep them at bay. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But you and I…we can't be anything."
He contemplated her words for a moment. "Because of Jake?"
"Leave him the hell out of this." She didn't explain the sudden burst of anger that followed his questions – the flash of threatening fury in her eyes was enough to make him back down, she knew that for a fact.
"Because of Lucas," he reasoned, his lips twisting into a knowing, bitter smile.
"So help me God, wipe that wise-ass smirk off your face before I do it for you," she all but growled. "Chris, I'm sorry, but I never thought…You were good to me last night. You worried for Jenny with me, and you helped me forget, and it was wonderful, it was. But I can't be with you."
He nodded, frowning. "Of course you can't."
"Chris," she said sadly, her tears pushing hard against her lower eyelids.
"No," he shrugged. "I was stupid. Haley warned me."
Peyton frowned, too. "What?" she whispered.
"Nothing. Never mind."
"You and Haley talked about me?" she asked, appalled, lifting her eyebrows.
"It's nothing. I should have known." He gave her a scornful look that made her look down, an ashamed blush colouring her cheeks. "You should never fall in love with the girl who gave her heart away years ago."
"Hey! I didn't!" she insisted uselessly. She liked to think that her heart was hers, protected and controlled, but it was the biggest lie she'd ever told herself.
"You could never fall in love with me," he stated simply.
Her heart jumped to her throat and she leaned across Tric's bar's counter, locking her eyes with his. Chris Keller sadly stating that she'd never give him her heart. Definitely something high on the list of things she never, not a million years saw happening, but there she was. "Chris, I really am sorry. I just… I was emotional, and I needed someone, and I appreciate that you were there. I needed to feel that, and I just thought that you did, too. But I didn't plan on having it…go…" she trailed off helplessly, her green orbs pleading with his cold eyes.
"Are you saying I took advantage of you?" he asked, glaring.
"No! No, I'm not. I'm saying that I didn't…think that…you…you were looking…for love," she said softly. "That's just not the Chris Keller I knew."
He leaned across the bar too, so close that their noses almost touched. "I have a newsflash for you, P. Sawyer. People change in twelve years. They grow up and they move on. They get married," he added pointedly, and she knew that he was intentionally hitting her where it hurt. "And they forget about the girls they thought they loved when they were kids."
A couple tears finally glided down her cheeks, but she didn't break eye contact. "I never would have slept with you had I known. Ignorance is no excuse…but it's all I've got. I was an idiot of the highest order. It's not fair to you, what I did. I just thought our thoughts were on the same wavelength. I'm sorry that I never would have thought that you'd be looking for a serious relationship."
"And I never would have thought you'd be looking for a good lay."
Peyton pulled back, away from him, and her walls flew up around her – too late, however, as she'd already been wounded. "Fuck you," she bit out, giving him her fiercest stare.
"But you already have, haven't you? And that's all you'll ever do. Chris Keller is out of here."
"Hey, Pretty Girl," Lucas greeted Brooke warmly, huskily, as he blinked his eyes opened. She climbed into bed next to him, still in her clothes from the previous day.
"Hey back," she said simply, gazing at him as she laid her head down on her pillow.
He reached out, letting his fingertips graze her cheek. She looked upset about something. "How was your sleepover?"
"Fine," she said, mustering up a small smile.
"What's going on with Haley and Nathan? You were very cryptic on the phone."
She smiled sweetly, reassuringly. "Nothing bad at all, I promise. It wasn't the two of them," she then added, "It was just Haley. Girl stuff. Everything's fine now."
Lucas narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You'd tell me if she was pregnant, right?"
Brooke rolled her eyes. "She's not pregnant, you idiot."
"Okay…" he said sceptically, sitting up and propping another pillow under his head. "You realize I have reason to doubt you, right?"
"What? No."
"Yes," he laughed. "Every single time, Haley told you she was pregnant before anyone else. And then she'd tell my Mom, and then Deb, and then that girl she works with…"
"Lila," Brooke supplied.
"Yeah, Lila. Nathan is going to flip if he's not at least the second person to know this time, and if I have reason to believe she's pregnant and I don't let him know, he'll kick my ass."
"Are you done now?"
"I'm serious." He was. Nathan would kill him. He hated being left out of the loop when it came to his own children.
"Yeah, sure. Okay, remember when Sebastian was born? Haley went on a huge tirade about how he was her last baby. She's not pregnant, I promise."
"So then what's going on?" he demanded. It wasn't like Brooke to keep secrets – she liked to share juicy news.
"Girl stuff," she repeated forcefully, but he caught the uncertainty in her eyes, almost as though she was afraid.
"You're keeping something from me, babe."
She leaned in for a quick kiss. "Luke, I love you, and it's nothing serious. Let's just leave it, okay? Mira wants you to make her some pancakes, so get that hot ass out of bed."
"Okay, scratch that," Haley said firmly, leaning over her guitar as she firmly jotted a line through the messy notes she'd made. "Let's get it into a major key instead of a minor."
"But I like it in the key it's in," Jenny protested, making a disappointed face.
Haley chuckled. "Peyton's daughter much?" she murmured, more to herself than Jenny. How predictable that she'd enjoy the moodier, more depressing sound.
It was Jenny's uncomfortable, almost wounded, silence that let Haley in on what she'd just said. "Oh, honey…" she said apologetically, sitting back in her chair. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Jenny said breezily, trying to brush it off.
"No, it's not, and I know that. Do you want to talk?"
Jenny set down her pen, too. "Haley…thank you for everything, and for the offer, but I…need to talk to my mom," she admitted softly.
Haley wished she could help her more, but she knew that she had to leave the rest up to the mother and daughter. "Yeah. Okay."
"Well, whenever you're ready," a soft, gently playful voice with an uncharacteristic raw quality to it said from the doorway.
A small smile touched Jenny's lips as she whispered, "Hi."
Haley turned to face Peyton. "You spy," she said with her own smile as Peyton walked over to them. She wrapped an arm around Peyton's waist from where she sat, resting her head against Peyton's hip for a moment as they hugged from separate levels. She looked up and studied her friend worriedly. Peyton looked brutally tired and on the verge of tears. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah. Fine. I'm just…" she shrugged, "stupid. It's nothing." She took a deep breath and gave Haley another quick hug.
She must have been up all night worrying about her daughter, Haley figured, so she accepted Peyton's excuse. "Yeah. Okay."
Peyton barely seemed to register Haley's words, her eyes were fixed on her daughter, analyzing. "Come find me when you're ready, okay, babe?" she finally asked quietly, looking meaningfully at Jenny. She gestured to the building that housed Tric, CMC's summer recording studios, and her apartment. "I'm around."
Jenny nodded. "Okay," she said in the exact same tone.
"Okay." She cracked a tired smile. "I'll see you later…both of you," she added, extending her words to include Haley, who smiled gratefully back. She wanted to rekindle her friendship with Peyton badly, but she knew how the other girl was. She needed to do things on her own terms.
"So," Haley said, sitting upright again. "I think we can work with this in a minor key."
Jenny's grin was tentative and adorable, making her look younger than she actually was. "Yeah?" she asked happily.
"Hell yeah," she replied firmly, grinning back and rewriting the chords she'd just scratched out.
"Daddy?"
Lucas closed his laptop; Miranda was a welcome distraction. "Hey, baby girl," he said, pulling her into his lap and tickling her lightly. "What's going on with you today?"
"Will you play with me?" she asked, slipping her lower lip out. She pouted exactly as her mother did, and it always made Lucas' heart melt.
"Of course I will, princess. What do you want to do?"
"Can we play tea party?" she asked innocently.
"Oh, Mira…" Lucas sighed, grimacing. He loved his daughter more than he could ever describe; he was meant for fatherhood, and he would do anything for his precious little girl. But sipping 'tea' out of a tiny cup with his littlest finger up in the air and wearing a princess hat took a toll on his ego, especially since Nathan had once walked in on a tea party. He'd practically collapsed with hysteria, but not before snapping several shots of Lucas in his purple, furry crown and several beaded necklaces. Lucas spent the next week and a half enduring his brother's random spurts of laughter while he grumbled about how Nathan didn't understand, he only had sons.
"Daddy!" Lucas sighed, thinking that he was going to have to give in, but mercifully, Miranda came up with a new idea. "Let's go to Auntie Haley's!"
"That's a good idea," Lucas agreed, relieved. "You can play with your cousins and I can talk to Uncle Nathan."
"Yay!" Mira cheered, hopping off his lap and rushing off.
"Where're you going, kiddo?" Lucas called after her.
She whirled around and stared at him. "To put my princess dress on. Nick and Noah can be the princes," she said, as though it were obvious. She turned back around and ran into her mother's legs.
"Hey, my little girl," Brooke crooned, scooping Mira up into her arms. "Where are you going in such a rush?" She gasped, a wicked gleam in her eyes as her lips curled into a happy smile. "Are you and Daddy gonna play tea party?"
"Uh-uh. We're gonna go to Auntie Haley's so that Nick and Noah can play castle with me."
Lucas grinned at Brooke, expecting to see a smile in return. Of course their daughter played 'castle' rather than 'house'.
Instead, an indefinable expression took over her face and she shook her head. "No, honey…you can't."
Lucas lifted his eyebrows as Miranda whined, "But Mommy! We were just there! I wanna go play."
Lucas chuckled, smiling at the five-year-old, but his laughter faded into a frown when his wife's expression didn't change. "Brooke, what…?"
"Mira, my sweet girl, why don't you call Kimmy and have her ask her mommy if you can go over there and play? I know that Kimmy would love to play princesses with you! Yeah?"
"Why can't I play with Noah and Nick?" Miranda whined.
"Because they're boys," Brooke told her playfully, tickling Miranda's tummy. "They wanna play with trucks and swords and silly boy things. Go call Kimmy, okay? If her mommy says yes, you bring the phone to me so we can talk. Do you know her number?"
"Seven eight five…seven nine two…three!" Miranda finished proudly.
"Smartypants!" Brooke cried enthusiastically, nuzzling her nose against her daughter's before setting her down. "Off you go, baby genius." She straightened up and met Lucas' eyes hesitantly.
He was confused and concerned, and it was frustrating him. "Brooke," he said, standing and walking over to her. He rested his hands lightly on her hips. "Please level with me. What is going on with Nathan and Haley?" She broke eye contact and he ducked his head to meet her gaze. "Hey. What is going on with you? Are you concerned about my meetings next week? Because, beautiful, I told you…Lindsay and I are just friends. You're the only girl for me, forever."
She rewarded him with a tender smile. "Please," she scoffed softly. "Like Brainy Babe could ever steal you away from me. Lindsay is not who I'm worried about."
Lucas' frown deepened. "But you are worried about someone. Did I say…or do something…?"
"No! It's not you…I just…it's Haley. But she's fine, I promise you. Everything's fine."
"Doesn't seem like it."
"It is. I just think we should give them their space and their peace today."
"Mommy!" called Miranda. "Come get the phone!"
Lucas shook his head as she flew from the room. Something was wrong. He knew that he could talk to Haley and Nathan about it – that he should, to make sure everything was really alright. But he was behind on deadlines, Mira was a handful, and he was determined to trust his wife. He'd get it out of her eventually, and he was sure that they'd laugh about it someday. Their lives were good. They had money, even if Brooke and Miranda spent it like crazy. Dan was out of their lives; they were safe. They were just a little bit famous. They had the best friends in the world, and an absolutely perfect little girl.
They'd been through enough drama, Lucas was sure of it. There was nothing and no one left to disrupt the peace.
"Daddy!"
Lucas smiled indulgently, holding out his arms so that she could jump into them. "Sup, baby girl?"
Miranda happily settled in his arms. "Will you drive me to Kimmy's house? Mommy says she has to go back to work."
Lucas grinned. "I would love to," he replied.
"Hey, Keller," Haley greeted Chris happily as she strode into his office. Jenny and Peyton were talking, hopefully mending their broken relationship. Brooke knew that they were in town. It was out of Haley's hands. That wouldn't stop her from meddling – it was her nature to attempt to improve the lives of others by interfering. But at least she no longer had any responsibility.
Chris muttered something unintelligible without looking at her. His fingers splayed over the keys of the piano and sank down into a melancholy chord.
Haley was alarmed. Chris was never without a clever comeback or a lewd line. Even when he was genuine, Chris was chatty and charming. Haley had never seen him vulnerable. Chris opened up to her, but never looked as sad or as meek as he did in that moment.
She dropped her binders and walked toward him cautiously. "Chris?" she asked softly, seating herself next to him on the piano bench. "Hey. Are you okay?"
His hands fell from the keys. They were shaking. He tried to play it off with his usual bravado: "Ask any girl, Haley James. She'll tell you that Chris Keller is better than okay." He still didn't meet her eyes.
Haley was so concerned that she didn't bother berating him, as she normally would have, for leaving out the 'Scott'. "Nice try. Chris, please…talk to me."
He looked over at her mournfully, and she spotted a tear or two gleaming in his eyes.
"Chris!" she gasped, placing a supportive hand on his back. "What's going on?"
He shrugged sadly and she rubbed his back comfortingly, patiently waiting for him to speak.
"I…I didn't listen to you. I was an idiot."
"No," she rushed to assure him. "No, you weren't. I'm sure of it. What do you mean, you didn't listen to me?"
He blinked rapidly to keep his tears at bay. "I slept with Peyton."
A/N: I know, I know…still no Lucas/Peyton interaction. I'm sorry, but there are things that need to happen first. I did write a fluffy little oneshot a while back in hopes of giving you guys something. Stick with me.
How about this? I'll give you my thoughts on the season premiere: Peyton Sawyer will become Peyton Scott. Finally! Every L/P scene made that episode. I loved the looks on Brooke and Haley's faces when they realized that they were together, and that glimpse of their future just looks so perfect. Psycho Nanny Carrie…waving a fork at Dan's eyes grossed me out. Jamie is the cutest thing in the world, his dancing with both Q and with Haley made me smile. The whole episode made me smile, with the exception of the ending.
Alright, I've given you my thoughts…now press that little purple button and give me yours in a review! :)
